Ellington

During any given week in Chattanooga, thousands of people are crawling through caves, leaping over rocks on mountain bikes, rappelling down boulders, snapping photographs of falcons or fawns, and pushing paddles through gently rippling waves. These people rarely get together.

The city’s new RiverRocks festival — a 10-day celebration of wild land and outdoor recreation in early October — promises to change all that. Scenic City leaders say RiverRocks could become the nation’s biggest, best and cleanest outdoor gala. With more than 100 events in some of the finest recreational terrain in the country, their predictions just might come true.

RiverRocks’ exuberant schedule looks like a Spoleto for nature lovers, a Bonnaroo for family recreation. It includes more than 35 child-friendly events and a range of workouts for couch potatoes and world-class athletes. “We want people to get out, get fit and have fun,” says co-founder Mike McGauley. For beginners, it’s an invitation to dip a toe in the pond. For outdoor addicts, it’s a kid-in-a-candy-shop adrenaline high.

Besides fun and games, RiverRocks has many missions, says McGauley. First, it’s a fundraiser for eight local land conservancies. “We’re pushing people into nature so they can be aware of why it’s important to conserve resources,” he says.

Second, it promotes health through outdoor activity and eating nutrient-rich locally grown foods. Third, civic leaders hope the event will appeal to the people who are young, educated and environmentally aware — a coveted demographic in the business community. Finally, the new event unites environmentalists and business owners to leverage the area’s natural resources for jobs and community health.

More than 40 outdoor groups worked together for the first time to produce the RiverRocks’ schedule, says McGauley. Trail runners, cyclists and kayakers pitched in alongside nature photographers, non-profit executives, outdoor-oriented business owners, and major corporate sponsors and local foundations to craft the sprawling jubilee.

Many RiverRocks sporting events, walks, rides and river cruises will be familiar to local outdoor fans. There are the regular Chattanooga Bike Club rides, Chattanooga Hiking Club hikes, Coolidge Park rock wall climbs and Blue Moon luxury cruises down the Tennessee River.

Yet never have so many of these events occurred in the same 10 days, or been wrapped up in one tidy schedule, or been mixed with top-flight musical entertainment and treats like rides in colorful hot air balloons.

One of the busiest days, for example — October 2 — boasts a plethora of activities including canoe jousts, bird watching, yoga and nature photography. For amateur or professional athletes, there’s a trifecta of races: The Sequatchie Century, a 100-mile bicycle ride through the Sequatchie Valley (62-mile and 25-mile rides are offered); the 7-mile Dam to Downtown Sprint for kayaks and canoes; and Signal Mountain’s Rock/Creek 50K and 11-mile Stump Jump ultramarathon trail-running race.

In the evening, Chattanooga can enjoy a triple crown of entertainment. The Wine Over Water fundraiser on the Walnut Street Bridge is book-ended by the 3 Sisters Bluegrass Festival at Ross’s Landing and a twilight display of illuminated hot air balloons in Coolidge Park. “The people at Wine O ver Water will have the skyboxes for the balloon glow,” says McGauley. “They’ll have a great view.” After a week packed with outdoor events, the festival’s second Friday night sets the stage for another round of frivolity and outside-the-building culture. Young acrobats of Circus Juventas will tightrope-walk and twirl breezily in mid-air on October 8. The following night, winners of an Appalachian roots music competition will warm up the crowd for the grand finale —a big-name musician and friend of the environment will be followed by a spectacular light show.

Founders are hoping RiverRocks will raise a significant amount of awareness and financial support for land conservation. McGauley, the owner of Fidelity Trust Company and a former chairman of both the Carter Street Corporation and Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, nurtures a broader goal. He wants to create a community that makes money conserving rather than polluting the environment.

RiverRocks, says McGauley, will be more pow-wow than party. “I want River Rocks to become a forum for dialogue,” he adds. “I want people to celebrate where Chattanooga is today, and to coalesce around a vision for our future.”

RiverRocks

When: Oct.1-10

Cost: Most events are free. A few charge admission fee, race fee or suggested donation.

Web site: www.riverrockschattanooga.com

Sponsors, event organizers and vendors:

(423) 265-0771

Carla@chattanoogapresents.com

ann@chattanoogapresents.com

Who benefits? Money raised at RiverRocks supports the Tennessee River Gorge Trust, Trust for Public Land, Lula Lake Land Trust, North Chickamauga Creek Conservancy, Cumberland Trail Conference, Lookout Mountain Conservancy, Friends of Moccasin Bend, Reflection Riding Arboretum and Botanical Garden